The present invention generally relates to a bird feeder having an adjustable sealing feeding port. The feeding port may be moved from a first position to a second position with respect to the rest of the feeder. More specifically, the bird food may be secured within the bird feeder when the adjustable sealing feeding port is in the second position and the bird food may be accessible to birds while the adjustable sealing feeding port is the first position. The adjustable sealing feeding port may have a stopper made from, for example, rubber or plastic which may create a liquid tight seal with the body of the bird feeder.
Inverted containers which are used to feed birds or other animals are commonly known. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,303,674 to Hyde, Jr. discloses a multi-component hummingbird feeder which can be completely disassembled. The hummingbird feeder has a liquid reservoir comprised of a cup-shaped bottom and a dome-shaped top. A hollow neck protrudes vertically from the bottom and through a central aperture in the top. A collar is seated on the top and surrounds the portion of the neck which extends above the top. A head which is adapted to coact with the collar is placed in the upper end of the neck and tightened until the top and bottom elements are in a tight sealing interengagement. Located in the top are feeding ports to provide access to a liquid food supply in the reservoir.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,589,338 to Lovitz discloses a holder for bottle and tube pet feeders which have a bottom feed pipe and which are adapted for suspension in an inverted position within a pet housing. A wire bracket comprising two parallel upright sections with top hooks supports two forwardly positioned vertically aligned loops, the upper and larger loop being adapted for engagement with the body of the bottle or tube feeder, the lower loop being adapted for underlying supporting engagement with the feeder and in embracing engagement with the feed pipe, whereby the feeder and feed pipe are maintained against displacement.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,990,403 to Jacobs discloses an inverted ceramic container which dispenses nutritional liquids through a short glass tube to hovering hummingbirds. The tube extends into the interior of the dispenser through a resilient stopper which engages a refill aperture in the dispenser. Various insulative properties of the ceramic dispenser protect the liquids from heat and light damage and loss. The rough unglazed inside surface of the dispenser neck establishes a tenacious seal with the resilient stopper. The unglazed exterior surface of the neck prevents dew and rain moisture from flowing down the outside surface of the dispenser to the tip of the glass tube. This surface moisture is objectionable because it wets the tip of the glass tube causing the nutritional liquid to drip out. The plastic nature of moist unfired clay readily permits the formation support loop integral with the ceramic body.
A common problem with these containers, especially hummingbird bird feeders, is that the nectar placed in the bird feeder tends to leak out of the container. Further, it is often difficult to fill and then invert the containers without the nectar leaking out of the container. Even further, these containers fail to provide the features of the present invention. More specifically, these existing containers do not disclose a bird feeder which can be easily cleaned, refilled and inverted without nectar leaking from the container. A need, therefore, exists for an improved bird feeder which has the features of the present invention.